October 10, 2014
With our insane fall schedules; school, sports, music, and my personal favorite — our social calendar, in full swing, our panini maker has been getting a little more action. Wait, technically I’m the panini maker and we won’t be discussing my action status, but I will tell you what a great tool my sandwich press is for these busy days.
This sandwich is a current favorite in the panini rotation. It does a great job of celebrating fall flavors — crisp apples, havarti cheese and a little touch of Dijon make for a quick and easy meal that everyone likes. Yes, please! (In case anyone was asking, the grown-ups like to pair this with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.)
Feel free to switch up the type of cheese depending on what you have or what your family likes. This sandwich is a great chance to branch out of your comfort zone. Havarti is approachable to many picky palates, tastes great and melts beautifully.
The Dijon adds a really nice tang without being overly Dijon-y, if you know what I mean. Add in some crisp slices of fall apples and you are ready to go. Our little one has a wheat allergy, so we usually use this bread from Canyon Bakehouse. It’s the best we’ve tried in the GF rotation and I like the ingredient list (no GMOs scores big points). I find it at Whole Foods.
Back to the apples, years back Santa stuffed this hand mandolin into my stocking and it’s been love ever since — with the slicer, my love for Santa goes back way further than that. I use it all the time for things like making zucchini lasagna or radishes for this fall salad. It’s the perfect tool when you want/need uniform slices. If you don’t have one, tell Santa! It now comes with a fancy julienne blade as well.
Did you also know that your waffle maker subs as a panini press? When we want to make a boatload of sandwiches the waffle maker works side by side with the panini press with stellar results.
As always, if I mention a product I like, it’s just because I genuinely like it enough to be compelled to shout from the top of my desktop, “Hello out there, this is great!” Most of the time, I’m not getting any sort of compensation except your love and respect. On those rare occasions that I do receive compensation to endorse a product, I will totally let you know, and since we are in full disclosure mode, I will only endorse something that I love and use.
Havarti and Apple Paninis
Makes 4 sandwiches
Set your Panini press to 375 degrees or your waffle maker to 7 and wait until they indicate they are heated. While waiting slice your apples, cheese, melt your butter and yes, pour yourself a glass of that Sauvignon Blanc.
8 pieces of bread
2 Fuji or Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of butter, melted
4 teaspoons of Dijon mustard (optional)
Havarti cheese (about half of a bar) sliced thin, you’ll need about 6-8 thin slices per sandwich
Brush the melted butter on what will be the outside of the sandwich. On the inside spread about 1/2 of a teaspoon of Dijon to each slice. Now, add about 3 thin slices of Havarti, layer with about three slices of apples and follow with another layer of cheese —the cheese is your glue that holds it all together. Put the top slice on and place them in the Panini or waffle maker, toasting until dark golden brown — wait for this coloring because it makes them crunchy and delicious.
